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NHS faces biggest change in its history

The NHS in England is on "high alert" to make sure there are no failings as it gears up for the biggest change in its history, the head of the NHS has told the BBC.

The NHS in England is on "high alert" to make sure there are no failings as it gears up for the biggest change in its history, the head of the NHS has told the BBC.

In an interview with the BBC, Sir David Nicholson said the coming months were "significant" and he was determined to make sure care did not suffer during the changes and bedding-in process.

Under the reforms, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) will replace primary care trusts (PCTs), which will be scrapped. The CCGs will take charge of much of the NHS budget.

Sir David told the BBC: "I would say the NHS is on high alert in relation to the potential for quality problems as we go through the transition."

While the government has promised to protect the health service, research by the King's Fund, says the majority of Trust managers expect care to get worse over the next few years. They also said there was now a high, or very high, risk that NHS would not meet its £20bn target, the BBC reports.